This is a pretty commonly asked question: If intelligent alien life existed and visited earth, should the wider population be informed or would it be more prudent to keep it a secret?

Some things you might consider before answering:

1. Are the aliens hostile or friendly?
2. Do the aliens want their existence to be widely acknowledged? If not, do we have a right to disclose that they do anyway?
3. What is their purpose of arriving, e.g. In need of asylum, refugees, resources, trade technology, simple exploration etc.

If you're wondering why I put this in the conspiracy area instead of somewhere else, it's simply because some people already believe there is a conspiracy to cover up the fact that aliens have already visited, regularly visit or are on their way.

I added a rough poll just to stimulate discussion, feel free to elaborate in a reply.

we are way to stupid and irrational and have wide opinions when it comes to the best tooth brush let alone alien visits... it wouldn't turn out well if we all found out tomorrow morning that aliens have visited us.

think about it , we have been killing each other since the beginning of time.

you would think those "Aliens" would fair better from humanity attitude ?

so i believe it would anarchistic

"Let Nuke those unholy monsters!!!!!"

Again, I think it would be the opposite of anarchy, humans might start seeing themselves as a species united against aliens (if they're hostile) instead of smaller factions and countries all fighting eachother.

I'd say the wider public should be transitioned into knowing it, but honestly I don't see how knowing aliens excist and becoming an anarchist are connected.

I don't mean people would become political anarchists, I just meant panic would set in, order would try to be maintained, people would riot and disagree on what to do or how to handle it and the situation would deteriorate.

"Earthians" would be a derogatory term the aliens would use on others after visiting our planet. Our Planet is crazy

Just like we would be amazed , the alien which we would find or who would find us , will be amazed too. They will observe , inspect , just like we would. Its same as going to a jungle and finding a new animal , you both would observe , yet stay vigilant

I don't mean people would become political anarchists, I just meant panic would set in, order would try to be maintained, people would riot and disagree on what to do or how to handle it and the situation would deteriorate.

I didn't mean politicaly really, I just meant I could see people freaking out for a while, but I don't think it would go much farther than all the supermarkets being emptied for a few weeks. I'd see it as similiat to a natural disaster setting.

I don't see any logical reasons why any alien species would be hostile, although there are illogical reasons (That's one part I liked about Halo, it was a fervent religious belief driving the genocide). Our planet isn't special, anything that's on our planet exists readily in other parts of the universe (Why invade Earth for water when you can get it for free elsewhere?)

And I think most humans already accept that we're not alone in the universe, and parts of the population already think they're here.

As for any reasons, I think it'd be plain exploration. There's enough planets that you don't need to mingle with another species, there's enough resources around that they wouldn't need anything we have, any refugees of a war or such wouldn't stick around, since if they could get here so could perusers, etc. And I doubt any form of technology trade would be acceptable, it'd be like trading a plane to a monkey for a twig.

I don't see any logical reasons why any alien species would be hostile, although there are illogical reasons (That's one part I liked about Halo, it was a fervent religious belief driving the genocide). Our planet isn't special, anything that's on our planet exists readily in other parts of the universe (Why invade Earth for water when you can get it for free elsewhere?)

And I think most humans already accept that we're not alone in the universe, and parts of the population already think they're here.

As for any reasons, I think it'd be plain exploration. There's enough planets that you don't need to mingle with another species, there's enough resources around that they wouldn't need anything we have, any refugees of a war or such wouldn't stick around, since if they could get here so could perusers, etc. And I doubt any form of technology trade would be acceptable, it'd be like trading a plane to a monkey for a twig.

What if the aliens didn't come for our inorganic resources but instead, wanted to sample the different species that most likely only exist on our planet? I think that would be the most logical explanation for any hostility on their part.

As for the rest of us, if it were up to me I'd keep it a secret regardless of the aliens' intentions. The knowledge that aliens exist and have visited our planet could do a lot of harm than good. It would break down a lot of societies and cause people to act irrationally.